AP Exclusive: DHS report disputes threat from banned nationsWASHINGTON — Analysts at the Homeland Security Department's intelligence arm found insufficient evidence that citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries included in President Donald Trump's travel ban pose a terror threat to the United States. A draft document obtained by The Associated Press concludes that citizenship is an "unlikely indicator" of terrorism threats to the United States and that few people from the countries Trump listed in h...

Pre-existing conditions complicate health care replacementCHICAGO — As Republicans try to unite around a replacement for the Affordable Care Act, one of the most popular parts of the law will be among the most difficult to replace: the guarantee of health coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. The challenge of providing insurance for Americans who have no other alternative has some congressional Republicans considering whether to ask the states to reboot high-risk pools, an option with a r...

'Apollo 13' and 'Titanic' actor Bill Paxton dies at 61LOS ANGELES — Bill Paxton, a prolific and charismatic actor who had memorable roles in such blockbusters as "Apollo 13" and "Titanic" while also cherishing his work in "One False Move" and other low-budget movies and in the HBO series "Big Love," has died from complications due to surgery. He was 61. A family representative issued a statement Sunday on the death but provided no further details. Paxton's death added a sad note to Sunday night's...

Oscars flap eclipses 'Moonlight' win, but civility reignsLOS ANGELES— The 89th Academy Awards got off on the right foot, with a song and dance, but ended with the most stunning mistake ever to befall the esteemed awards show when the best picture Oscar was presented to the wrong movie. Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, holding an incorrect envelope, wrongly presented the top prize to "La La Land" instead of "Moonlight." The moment at the conclusion of the Sunday-night show was so jaw-dropping, it ecli...

Atkins Junior Beta set for FloridaATKINS — For the first time, the Atkins Junior Beta Quiz Bowl team went to state and took home third which qualifies them to go to Junior Beta Nationals in Orlando, Fla. in June. The state competition was conducted Jan. 26 in Hot Springs where Julie Hodges, sixth-grade math teacher and Junior Beta Club sponsor, said it came down to a tiebreaker for the quiz bowl team division. “This was the first time they went to state so we were excited when...

Biologists find weird cave life that may be 50,000 years oldBOSTON — In a Mexican cave system so beautiful and hot that it is called both Fairyland and hell, scientists have discovered life trapped in crystals that could be 50,000 years old. The bizarre and ancient microbes were found dormant in caves in Naica, Mexico, and were able to exist by living on minerals such as iron and manganese, said Penelope Boston, head of NASA's Astrobiology Institute. . "It's super life," said Boston, who presented the ...

Doctor-lawmaker tries to restrict smoking in tobacco countryFRANKFORT, Ky. — When Dr. Ralph Alvarado was elected to the Kentucky state Senate in 2014, he found his new colleagues had something in common with most of his patients: They knew smoking was bad, they just couldn't quit. For more than two years, Alvarado has led the effort to restrict smoking in a state with the highest smoking rate in the country. He keeps a white lab coat in his Senate office, giving him a little more authority with lawmake...

Trump's plan for spike in defense spending faces big hurdlesWASHINGTON — Republicans control Congress so President Donald Trump's pledge to boost the Pentagon budget by tens of billions of dollars should be a sure bet. It's not. Trump faces skeptical Democrats whose support he'll need and resistance from fiscal conservatives opposed to repealing a 2011 law that set firm limits on military and domestic spending. Unless the president figures out a way to mollify the disparate camps, he'll have a tough ti...

2 dams illustrate challenge of maintaining older designsLOS ANGELES— Twelve years ago, widespread destruction from Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast helped compel federal engineers 2,000 miles away in California to remake a 1950s-era dam by constructing a massive steel-and-concrete gutter that would manage surging waters in times of torrential storms. The nearly $1 billion auxiliary spillway at Folsom Dam, scheduled to be completed later this year, stands in contrast to the troubles 75 miles away...

A month of Trump: Tweets and turmoil for the 45th presidentWASHINGTON — One month after the inauguration, the stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of Donald Trump's White House still is a hard-hat zone. Skeletal remains of the inaugural reviewing stands poke skyward. Random piles of plywood and cables are heaped on the ground inside crooked lines of metal fencing. The disarray outside the president's front door, though not his fault, serves as a metaphor for the tumult still unfolding inside. Four ...

Cases involving alleged drug theft at VA health facilities Government data obtained by The Associated Press show that incidents of drug loss or theft at federal hospitals have jumped nearly tenfold since 2009 to 2,457 last year, spurred by widespread opioid abuse in the U.S. Federal authorities report that doctors, nurses or pharmacy staff — mostly in the Department of Veterans Affairs health system — had siphoned away controlled substances, while in other cases, drugs intended for patients simply dis...

Dam failure forces 200,000 to evacuateOROVILLE, Calif. -- Nearly 200,000 people who were ordered to leave their homes after a California spillway threatened to unleash a 30-foot wall of water may not be able to return until significant erosion is repaired, authorities said Monday. The officials who issued the hasty evacuation order defended their decision, saying it was necessary to ensure public safety in the region downstream from the nation's tallest dam, about 150 miles northe...

As Trump fears fraud, GOP votes to kill election commissionWASHINGTON— A House committee voted on Tuesday to eliminate an independent election commission charged with helping states improve their voting systems as President Donald Trump erroneously claims widespread voter fraud cost him the popular vote. The party-line vote came less than two days after Trump vowed to set up a White House commission helmed by Vice President Mike Pence to pursue his accusations of election fraud. "We're going to look a...

Senate poised to confirm Trump's pick to head TreasuryWASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's pick for Treasury secretary is headed toward confirmation by the Senate Monday despite complaints by Democrats that Steven Mnuchin ran a "foreclosure machine" when he headed OneWest Bank. Votes on Trump's Cabinet picks have exposed deep partisan divisions in the Republican-controlled Senate, with many of the nominees approved by mostly party-line votes. The vote Monday evening on Mnuchin is expected to fol...

Pipeline judge says he won't be swayedBISMARCK, N.D. -- The federal judge who will decide whether oil flows through the disputed Dakota Access pipeline has shown sympathy for the historical plight of American Indians, but has also made clear that he doesn't think that should play a role in judicial decisions. U.S. District Judge James "Jeb" Boasberg is overseeing a lawsuit filed by the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Sioux that could be their last hope of stopping the $3.8 billio...

Republicans are increasingly talking about 'repairing' President Barack Obama's health care overhaulWASHINGTON — Republicans are increasingly talking about repairing President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, a softer tone that comes as their march to fulfill a keystone campaign promise encounters disunity, drooping momentum and uneasy voters. GOP lawmakers insist they haven't abandoned their goal of repeal, though they face lingering disputes about whether that should come before, after or simultaneously with a replacement effort. Repub...

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By ALAN FRAM and RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR, Associated PressAssociated Press

Liz Weston: How to help your parents protect their moneyOur financial decision-making abilities peak in our 50s and can decline pretty rapidly after age 70, researchers tell us. That's how otherwise smart older people fall for sweepstakes frauds, Nigerian investment schemes and the grandparent scam, where con artists pretend to be grandchildren in a financial jam. But few people want to hear that they're not as sharp as they used to be. Many won't recognize the rising risk of losing hard-earned lif...

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By LIZ WESTON, NerdWalletThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley